Conch Republic

  • Micronations
  • Founded 23 April 1982
  • Motto We Seceded Where Others Failed
  • Independence day April 23
  • National instrument Conchalele

In 1982 the Conch Republic was declared as a ludic protest against a Border Patrol blockade which was installed by the US Federal Government to control drug trafficking in and out the Florida Keys. As a result of this roadblock, tourists cancelled their visits and the local community saw their biggest source of income disappear and turned to their Mayor Dennis Wardlow. After a lost lawsuit to stop the roadblock, Wardlow told the press “We are going to go home and secede”. Wardlow declared independence from and war against the US, and surrendered on the same day, demanding one million dollars to restore the pre-blockade economy. The locals view their secession not as a revolutionary act against the US but rather the opposite—they felt that they were alienated as Americans. In the end the publicity surrounding the faux secession led to a new source of income for the local entrepreneurs.

Explore De Facto

Cabinda

Cabinda is a piece of land in West Africa that lies between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and the Atlantic Ocean. Adjacent to its coast are some of the largest offshore oil fields in the world. Formally, it is an exclave and province of Angola, but this status has been disputed by several groups that proclaimed independence in 1975. The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda - Forces Armadas de Cabinda (FLEC-FAC) runs an exile office in Paris.

Bajo Nueva Bank

This small uninhabited reef in the western Caribbean Sea was first shown on Dutch maps dating back to 1634. After very little recognition it was rediscovered by English pirate John Glover in 1660. The reef is administered by Colombia, but a number of other states —Jamaica, Nicaragua and the US—claim sovereignty over it. On the 19th November 2012, with regards to the Nicaraguan claim the International Court of Justice ruled unanimously, that the Republic of Colombia has sovereignty over both the Bajo Nuevo and the Serranilla bank of the reef. The U.S. administers the bank as an unorganized, unincorporated United States territory.

Rose Island

Rose Island was built in 1967 by Italian engineer Giorgo Rosa. It lies 11.6 kilometres off the shore of Rimini, just outside of Italy’s territorial waters. Rosa proclaimed himself president and declared the independence of ‘Respubliko de la Insulo de la Rozoj’ on 24th June, 1968. The platform hosted a restaurant, a nightclub, a bar, a souvenir shop and a post office. Self issued stamps functioned as currency on the island and were used by visiting tourists. The Italian government, who saw the platform’s activities as a form of tax-evasion, took control and destroyed the platform on 11th February, 1969.